A palm with dates, Los Angeles, [s.d.]

Photograph of a palm with dates, Los Angeles, [s.d.]. Large clusters of dates hang just below the fronds of the palm tree. Other trees and bushes can be seen in the background.; "As with nearly all Palms, The date has a single growing point called a terminal bud. Growth is conditioned on many variables and can be either fast or fairly slow with the maximum height of 45 feet to 80 feet tall. Leaves are stiff rigid and grow up to 10 feet long and have large spines on the leaf stalks. Male and female flowers are produced on separate trees. The branched flower bunches are held in the early stages of emergence by a hard, rough sheath called a fruiting or flowering spadice or spathe. Male palms normally flower slightly before the female palms. This pollen must be hand collected and the spathe of the female flower cut open after the male pollen has dried. The male flower is then placed or shaken onto the female flowers while they are still rather sticky. Date Palms rarely wind pollinate and unpollinated dates do not develop viable seeds or good sugar." -- unknown author